Manitoba curler follows in mother’s footsteps at junior curling competition

Curler follows in mom's footsteps Jacques Gauthier is competing in a national championship – but he has a bigger goal in mind.

Jacques Gautier is playing in his third New Holland Junior Curling Championship – but his ultimate career goal isn’t about winning that prize.

He wants to match the fame of his mother, Cathy.

“Hopefully one day somebody walks up to her and says oh you’re Jacques Gautier’s mother,” said Gautier, a member of Team Manitoba.

Cathy was inducted into the Curling Canada Hall of Fame and is now a curling broadcaster for TSN.

She didn’t intend for her kids to become curlers but she would bring them to the Little Rockers program she taught when she didn’t have a babysitter, she said. Gautier was only four-years-old but quickly started catching on to the game.

“He just kept coming on the ice and next thing you know he was doing what the other kids were doing and he was doing it better.”

Both said that although Gautier has some natural talent, a big element of Team Manitoba’s success is the friendship between the players.

“These guys built their team on respect and really a desire to spend time together,” Cathy said. “They laugh a lot on the ice and that’s what’s going to pull you through a two-game loss.”

Team Manitoba lost two close games Tuesday but are still eyeing a spot in the finals.

Cathy says it would be an honour to call a championship game with her son playing in it - but whether they walk away with the title or not, Cathy will be happy to just be known as Jacques Gauthier’s mom.